Winter Sports in Pittsburgh? (Erie, Wilkinsburg: ski resort, best city, real estate)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Yes, I am looking into the eastside neighborhoods (Squirrel Hill, Regent Square,etc.). However, I have a red heeler who is a pretty fierce watchdog. I cannot imagine him biting anyone, who did not really deserve it (i.e., breaking and entering), or barking mindlessly, but he can get worked up by noises (dogs, people walking by) and bark or by sirens and howl. And although I really like the high density look of that area, I wonder if I would get into trouble with the neighbors. A shame really, because I love the idea of being so close to the big parks and everything else.

As an aside, I actually got bit recently by a Red Heeler (or Australian Cattle Dog as I call them--at least I believe Red Heelers are a variety of Australian Cattle Dog) who I surprised. I very much do not blame the dog--we own a house we are renting and I was over to do some work for the tenants, and I passed through the house into the fenced backyard where the dog was loose. I had never met the dog before, so to him I was just some complete stranger coming out of his house unexpectedly, and it was really more a bad nip than a full bite he gave me (although it was bad enough to scar a bit where a canine got me).

Anyway, the neighborhoods around Frick Park, including Regent Square and Squirrel Hill, are highly popular with dog owners, so you would have that going for you. In fact there are already several highly territorial dogs in Regent Square who will bark at you if you get anywhere near their backyard fence--I always just tell my three-year-old son that is their way of saying "hello" to us.

Of course obviously you have to know your own dog and his or her limits, meaning you don't want your dog to be living in a constant state of stress. But if a scenario like the one I just described--dog gets a fenced backyard and maybe barks a bit at any strange humans and dogs he spots during his daily vigil---is all you are talking about, your dog will fit right in.

Oh, and we don't get a lot of sirens in Regent Square. Most of Squirrel Hill is the same, although you might want to plan for at least a little distance from the commercial areas along Forbes and Murray.

[Fiddlehead]

Sorry that happened (with the heeler). Seems like he thought he was doing his duty, but ouch!

We actually got our dog,Cody, because we thought he would befriend our superathletic, but very meek border collie, and add some muscle to the household. Flip, the collie would actually sneak into his room and hide when raccoons came in the cat door! Cody, the heeler, is super friendly and sweet, and loves children, but he takes his watchdog duties seriously. He is not aggressive to other dogs or folks when out and about though, and is as crazy about fetch as the collie. So, for the most part, he is exactly what we wanted, and nice, smart guy to boot. My wife likes to take the beasts out running in the woods, and they need it, daily, so that is a pretty core concern for us.

A funny pair, like Captain Kirk (the heeler) and Spock (the collie), except spock is the one who gits all giddy when it snows.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Yes, I am looking into the eastside neighborhoods (Squirrel Hill, Regent Square,etc.). However, I have a red heeler who is a pretty fierce watchdog. I cannot imagine him biting anyone, who did not really deserve it (i.e., breaking and entering), or barking mindlessly, but he can get worked up by noises (dogs, people walking by) and bark or by sirens and howl. And although I really like the high density look of that area, I wonder if I would get into trouble with the neighbors. A shame really, because I love the idea of being so close to the big parks and everything else.

You can be close to parks in the suburbs too.

There are three huge parks in the North Hills called North Park, Hartwood Acres, and Deer Lakes.

North Park is the largest in the county at 12,000 acres.

Deer Lakes Park which is 1,180 acres.

Hartwood Acres is 692 acres.

North Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Park_(Pittsburgh)

Deer Lakes Park

Deer Lakes Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hartwood

Hartwood Acres Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Check them out when you visit.


(To give you an idea for comparison to the city parks, Frick Park is the largest park within the city limits at only 561 acres.)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Sorry that happened (with the heeler). Seems like he thought he was doing his duty, but ouch!

Exactly, in his mind he was doing his job--and it is an older dog too, so I also give him a break on maybe overreacting a bit when startled. Fortunately I grew up around rambunctious hunting dogs in Michigan, and so while I have never been that seriously bitten before, I wasn't freaked out.

Cody, the heeler, is super friendly and sweet, and loves children, but he takes his watchdog duties seriously. He is not aggressive to other dogs or folks when out and about though. . . . My wife likes to take the beasts out running in the woods, and they need it, daily, so that is a pretty core concern for us.

That is probably the more serious issue to think about if contemplating a move with a dog to this part of Pittsburgh, as opposed any sort of territoriality--I think I have mentioned before there are a lot of wooded trails in Frick Park, but lots of people do take their dogs into Frick including for the purpose of running those trails, so it is a good thing if your dog isn't too aggressive with other dogs in that sort of situation because he is bound to see a lot of them.

By the way, Frick is pretty efficient for exercising active dogs because a lot of the trails are quite up and down (Frick is basically laid out over one of our many local valley systems). Finally, I might as well mention my favorite dog spot in Frick, Hot Dog Dam, which is a small dam on the stream running in the base of one of those valleys that has created a small, shallow, (muddy) pool. They partially fenced it in so you can take dogs there to play in the water (the non-fenced part is the hillside). Even though we don't own a dog, it is a fun place to go for a little dog-watching. Again, though, it is pays to have a dog who plays nice with other dogs if using Hot Dog Dam.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Hopes

You can be close to parks in the suburbs too. There are two huge parks in the North Hills called North Park and Hartwood Acres.

I definitely don't want to give the impression I think the neighborhoods around Frick are the only dog-friendly neighborhoods in the general area--I'd say Pittsburgh in general is very dog-friendly in most respects.

However, I believe we are talking about this area because the other poster would be taking a position at Pitt and is potentially interested in living in one of the neighborhoods nearby. Again, people can and do work at Pitt and live in the suburbs, but if you work at Pitt, have dogs, and like the relevant sort of neighborhood, it is hard to beat living next to one of the big East End parks.

[Hopes]

The largest East End park is smaller than the smallest County park in the North Hills.

And you can live next to or even inside one of the county parks in the North Hills.

People need options. Not everyone is into city living. Some people want space.

It's really not a bad commute across the Highland Park Bridge into Oakland from the Northern suburbs.

The East End gets way too much hype on city-data. I'm just providing some balance.

I'm not a city hater. I've lived there too. Heck, I've lived in more places in the city than most people who post on this site!

I forgot to mention that there are great sled riding hills in the parks I mentioned too.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Hopes

People need options. Not everyone is into city living. Some people want space.

I agree with you there, and I think it is good for the region that we basically have good, and often quite affordable, versions of just about every kind of residential option. In this case, the relevant poster might like the East End, but I agree there are suburbs that might also work well, so it makes sense to cover all those options at least collectively.

The East End gets way too much hype on city-data.

I disagree with you a bit there. Obviously the East End isn't the right sort of area for everyone, and there is nothing wrong with that. But for people who do like the sort of things the East End has to offer, it is really a pretty amazing option--not only a very nice example of its type, but very affordable when compared to similar neighborhoods in most medium-large cities.

So in that sense, as long as we aren't suggesting the East End to people whose stated preferences don't make the East End a good choice, and in general as long as people here are collectively covering all the suitable options, I don't really see any harm in a certain amount of "hyping" of the East End.

[Fiddlehead]

BrianTH is right about me working at Pitt (possibly). We would not go without that in hand. My wife would be looking though, and depending upon where she ended up, that would probably determine where we would live.

My initial research has suggested that N. Hills or E. End seem good. We would be moving from a small mountain town in Oregon, so woods and trails in all seasons are our thing. That said, being close to work and transit is very appealing. The northern parks sound wonderful, though I have not seen too many pictures. Panaramio in Google Earth has some great images of Schenley and Frick, but not North Park or the others.

Also, a big positive for us would be a nice house and yard for an AFFORDABLE PRICE. Out here we were earning $50k a year with a median home price of $500k. It has gotten a bit better on both sides of that equation over time, but we have owned a tiny home at about the 7th percentile of value in town for years. So, we would like to be able to own a well-located home at about the median value or maybe slightly above (i.e., a nice middle class home) on 1.75 middle class incomes (i.e. $150-250k). I did some searching on Fox Chapel area and it looks a bit out of our league. Are other nice, more affordable areas nearby?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

So, we would like to be able to own a well-located home at about the median value or maybe slightly above (i.e., a nice middle class home) on 1.75 middle class incomes (i.e. $150-250k). I did some searching on Fox Chapel area and it looks a bit out of our league. Are other nice, more affordable areas nearby?

The good news is that there are many, many good options in the Pittsburgh area in that price range (Fox Chapel is one of the very most expensive areas in Pittsburgh, which explains what happened there).

The bad news is that there are many, many good options in that price range! So narrowing it down isn't a simple task, although given your preferences I think you seem to be on the right track with where you are looking.

[Fiddlehead]

Uh...I meant a home for $150-250k. Not that 1.75 middle class incomes equals that! But it would sure be nice if it did!